Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Jasmine Zapata, MD, MPH.
Hi Dr. Jasmine, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi, I’m Dr. Jasmine Zapata, also known as Dr. Jaz. I’m a board certified pediatrician, inspirational youth speaker, and award winning author of a youth empowerment book series. My journey started with a simple but powerful desire: I wanted young people to feel seen, heard, and valued, no matter what they were going through.
In my early years as a doctor, I spent many nights in the hospital caring for teens after suicide attempts. Sitting at their bedside, hearing their stories, changed me. I saw how heavy life can feel for young people. I also saw how many of them suffer in silence. Those experiences broke my heart but they also lit a fire in me. I knew I had to do more than respond in emergencies. I wanted to reach youth long before they reached a crisis.
That desire pushed me outside the clinic walls. I started writing books that speak directly to youth about self worth, resilience, and purpose. Those first books turned into a full youth empowerment series. From there I began speaking at schools, churches, conferences, and community events. My main passion is working with middle and high school students. I love helping them build confidence, protect their mental health, and dream bigger for their lives.
One of the highlights of my journey as an author was completing a 14 city national book tour. One of my favorite stops was in Atlanta. We had an amazing event where young people opened up about their mental health, resilience, and self worth. There was music, games, book signings, and real conversations. The energy in the room was powerful and healing. I left feeling even more committed to this work and I cannot wait to do more live events in the ATL area.
Over the last several years I have also helped over 300 authors write and self publish their own books that empower youth and young adults. These authors include celebrities, social workers, former NFL players, teachers, parents, and community leaders. I love helping them turn their stories into tools that can reach young people all over the world.
Today I continue to blend my roles as a pediatrician, author, speaker, and entrepreneur. My vision is to build a global movement where youth feel hopeful, supported, and powerful. I want every young person to know that their life has meaning, their story matters, and they can make it through even the toughest seasons.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. One of the deepest pains I have ever faced was losing my little brother when he was only 16 years old. I was on my journey in medicine at the time and his death shook me to my core. I started to question everything. I wondered if I had the strength to keep going.
Not long after that, I went through another major challenge. I went into labor very early with my daughter at only 25 weeks pregnant. She was born weighing just 1.5 pounds and had to fight for her life in the NICU. I remember sitting by her incubator with my medical books in my lap, feeling torn between my role as a mom and my role as a doctor in training. There were moments when I seriously thought about walking away from my career because the emotional weight felt so heavy.
But in both of those seasons I felt a strong pull to keep going. I believed that there was a reason I was still here and a reason I was on this path. I did not want my brother’s life or my daughter’s fight for survival to be in vain. Those experiences built a deep resilience in me that I now pour into the youth I serve.
When I talk to young people about not giving up, I am not just saying words. I know what it feels like to want to quit, to feel like the pain is too much. I also know what it feels like to push through and find purpose on the other side. I truly believe that even the hardest moments in life can be used for something greater. That is the message I carry into every book I write and every room of youth I stand in front of.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I wear a few different hats in my work but they all come back to one mission. I want young people to know that their lives have value, that they are stronger than they think, and that they can win even when life feels hard. I am a double board certified physician in pediatrics and public health, an award winning author, and the founder of Motivational M.D. Enterprises, where I use books, live events, and mentorship to empower youth and families.
One of the main things I am known for is my Beyond Beautiful girls empowerment book series and movement. The books were created to inspire and remind girls that true beauty comes from the inside and that they have powerful inner qualities like courage, resilience, creativity, and intelligence that can change the world. Through the Beyond Beautiful Girls Empowerment Academy and tour, I partner with schools, churches, and youth serving organizations to help girls build confidence, self esteem, and resilience through books, workshops, music, and mentoring.
I am also the author of Life Is A Battle But We Will Win, which is a youth empowerment book and curriculum focused on resilience. Instead of traditional chapters it is organized into “rounds” with stories, activities, affirmations, and reflection questions that help young people learn what resilience is, practice my A.W.B. framework for success, and see themselves as strong “young warriors” who can keep going even when life knocks them down. This book has grown into a full movement with keynotes, a seven week academy, and youth and family empowerment conferences.
Over the years my books and programs have reached schools, churches, health systems, and nonprofits across the country and abroad. My Beyond Beautiful books have been translated into Swahili and Korean and have been used by school districts and community programs to support girls who have faced adversity. I also completed a national girls empowerment book tour that included multiple cities such as Atlanta where we had music, games, honest conversations about mental health, and powerful book signings with youth.
Another big part of my work is helping other people tell their stories. Through my publishing company and my Triple P Bookwriting Method I have helped over two hundred authors write, publish, and monetize books on topics like youth resilience, mental health, healing from trauma, financial wellness, leadership, and more. My authors include former NFL players, physicians, teachers, social workers, children, and elders. Many of them have gone on to launch programs, get media features, and create new income streams from their books.
What sets me apart is the combination of my medical background, my personal story, and my creative approach. I am not just writing about mental health and resilience from a distance. I have cared for teens in crisis at the bedside. I have walked through my own seasons of grief and uncertainty. I still show up to rap, sing, play games, and sit in circles on the floor with young people. I am most proud that this work is no longer just about me as an author. It has grown into a larger Motivational M.D. Publishing Family and a youth empowerment movement that is helping people heal, uplift others, and leave a legacy one book and one young person at a time.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
My biggest advice is do not try to do this journey alone. Every major breakthrough in my life has been connected to a coach, mentor, or community that stretched me and believed in me. I had to get comfortable investing in myself even when it felt scary. I have paid for mentors, conferences, masterminds, and programs. At first I saw it as an expense. Now I see it as a seed. The right mentor can save you years of trial and error.
One of my very first mentors was Taurea Avant. I am so thankful to her because she helped me become an author with my very first book, a project I was a coauthor of called Multiple Streams of Income. That very first book changed my life and showed me the power of sharing your wisdom in words. I am still in her community today, the Book Rich Profits Club, and I feel very blessed for all the ways she impacted my author journey so many years ago. That support helped me go from first time author to someone who now helps hundreds of other people write and publish their own books.
When it comes to networking, always think about how you can add value first. Do not only look for ways other people can help you. Ask yourself what you can share, how you can encourage, or how you can support their vision. Some of my best relationships started with me asking the question: “How can I support you?”
I also believe it is important to know your zone of genius. Spend most of your time there and then find others to support the areas where you are not as strong. You do not have to be great at everything. You just have to be willing to invest in yourself, step out of your comfort zone, and build real, mutually supportive relationships along the way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drjasminezapata.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motivationalmdpublishing
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motivationalmdpublishing/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjasminezapata/
